


Connect & Go

by ladyc2



Category: Arashi (Band), KAT-TUN (Band)
Genre: Koki leaving angst;, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-25
Updated: 2014-02-20
Packaged: 2018-01-09 23:32:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1152134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyc2/pseuds/ladyc2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the wake of Koki leaving KAT-TUN, Jun visits Kame.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The bit with Nino refers to his appearance on Shuuichi, a translated transcript can be found at http://haiiro-rakuen.livejournal.com/17269.html

Jun was leafing through a magazine in the green room while he and the rest of Arashi waited for the TV crew to prepare the set for filming the latest episode of Shiyagare. He looked up as the door opened and Sakurai Sho walked in, half dragging a pensive looking Kamenashi Kazuya behind him. 

"Look what I found wandering the hallway," Sho announced brightly pushing Kame to sit down on the couch next to Jun. Jun shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Most of the time, he really loved that he and the other members of Arashi were so close with each other, but just sometimes he wished they didn't know him quite so well. Ever since he'd confessed (admittedly, while drunk after an end of tour party) that he might, just maybe, like the youngest member of KAT-TUN, the others never missed an opportunity, as rare as they might be, to push them together. Sometimes subtly, sometimes not so subtly. As if to prove his point, Jun felt the other members of Arashi's gazes briefly flick towards him before greeting the newcomer. 

"Kame-kun," Aiba greeted. "Are you here for drama promotion?" 

Kamenashi shook his head. "Nah, I had some spare time so I thought I'd drop by and shake Nino down for all his money."

From his place sitting on the ground in front of the coffee table, Nino toppled onto his side in an over-exaggerated manner and threw an arm over his eyes. "Ahhh! You saw that?"

Kame laughed briefly before he nodded.

As Nino sat back up he grimaced and shook his head a little. "I kind of feel like I should apologise for that. It turned out not to be the best timing."

Kame gave a tight smile. "Don't worry about it. You couldn't have known."

"How are you guys holding up?" Aiba asked into the awkward silence that followed.

"Okay," Kame answered. "We're going to announce a mini album and concert in a couple of days. Organising all that will be keeping us pretty busy."

As Kame began elaborating on KAT-TUN's plans, Jun frowned down at his magazine. _What was Kame doing? Why was he acting so...so composed?_ It wasn't like he was faking it, per se, you could tell he was sad and upset, but it was like he was projecting an 'everything's going to be fine' aura. In front of the fans or strangers he could understand, but weren't they his friends? Shouldn't he be able to show his true thoughts and feelings in front of them? Finally it became too much for Jun.

"You don't have to pretend in front of us," he bit out, maybe a bit more harshly than he'd intended.

Next to him Kame stiffened, but then he slumped down, his shoulders hunching.

"I know," he replied softly after a few moments, "but I have drama promo and then filming and I...I need to stay in this mindset or I won't make it through the day."

"Of course, we understand." Sho nodded, sending a glare Jun's way and patting Kame on the shoulder. Ohno and Aiba also gave their own disbelieving 'Why would you say that?' looks. 

"Don't pay any attention to idiots," Nino added, before turning the conversation to some baseball game that he'd bought and which he thought Kame would really like. Kame smiled appreciatively and focussed his attention wholly on Nino.

Jun wasn't sure why he was suddenly the bad guy here - Nino was the one who'd brought up the topic in the first place. 

After about 5 minutes an A.D. poked her head through the door, sighing in relief as she spied Kamenashi in the room. Kamenashi's manager was close behind and as they left, the A.D. bowing and apologising for the intrusion, Jun could hear him berating the younger man for running off without letting anyone know where he'd gone. 

"I feel so bad for KAT-TUN," Aiba announced into the quiet that had enveloped the room as they all watched Kamenashi leave. Jun nodded in agreement and noticed the others doing the same. Jun couldn't even imagine losing someone in Arashi, and now KAT-TUN had lost two members.

"We should do something nice for them." Aiba suggested.

"You mean Jun should do something nice for Kame." Nino said suggestively, bumping Jun's knee with his shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be _real_ appreciative if you go over and comfort him." 

Jun couldn't believe what Nino seemed to be saying. "Are you suggesting I take advantage of Kame while he's upset?" he asked incredulously. 

"He's got a point," Ohno interjected. "Although I probably wouldn't have worded it quite so creepily." The others nodded in agreement.

"Look, we're not saying you have jump Kame, or even make any sort of move on him," Sho put in.  
"Just that this way you get to watch out for him _and_ do something nice. And it lets him know that you care."

Nino scoffed, "Yeah, he probably wonders if you even remember his name, for all the interest you've shown in him lately." 

"That's not true," Jun objected. "I show plenty of interest."

"Uh-huh. And that's why you spend your nights all alone in the dark watching old KAT-TUN concerts."

"I do not." Jun lunged at his bandmate, but Nino was quick and ducked behind Aiba.

"Do so!" he called out from his position of relative safety. As Jun approached however, Aiba stepped out of the way.

"Don't drag me into this," 

And that was how the Shiyagare staff came to find Jun chasing Nino around the green room while the other three laughed and tried to stay out of the way as best they could. As the A.D. ushered them onto the set to begin filming, Jun took the time to calm down and think about what the others had been saying. _It couldn't hurt to show Kame he cared, could it?_

*

Kame stepped into his apartment after a long day, and even longer night of filming for his drama. His eyes turned briefly towards the kitchen before glancing away. He knew he _should_ eat something; Nakamaru would definitely worry if he started losing weight now, but he was just too exhausted to bother. He still wasn't entirely sure whether filming for Tokyo Bandwagon was a good thing or not right now. On the plus side the cast and crew made the set a lively, happy place and it kept him busy with non-KAT-TUN things so he wasn't busy dwelling. On the downside, drama filming was always a big commitment in his schedule and right now he needed, wanted, to be focussed on getting KAT-TUN through this latest mess and coming out on the other side stronger and better than before. 

He should just go to bed, he decided. Not that he was getting much sleep lately, but some was better than none. Tomorrow was their first official meeting as a four member group and things would only get busier from then on. He started for his bedroom when a knock at the door made him spin around in surprise. He glanced at the clock just to make sure it was as late as he thought it was. Sure enough it was. _Who would come around at this hour?_ He shook his head, maybe he'd imagined it. Another knock, a little louder than before, disabused him of that notion. He slowly stepped back into the genkan, grabbing a baseball bat he had propped against the wall and cautiously approached the door. He gripped the bat tightly as he peered through the peephole just as another knock began. His eye widened in surprise as he recognised Matsumoto Jun. He laid the bat back against the wall and rushed to unlock the door.

"Finally," Jun breathed out. "I was starting to wonder if your manager gave me the wrong time."

"Uh." was Kame's less than eloquent response.

Jun ignored him, brushing past and dropping the bag he had on his shoulder down on the floor while he removed his shoes. Once done, he picked it up again and breezed into the apartment, looking around in interest. Kame could only follow in confusion.

"Why are you here?" he asked hesitantly.

Jun spun around, smiling at him. "You need to eat," he replied, holding up the bag. "So I brought food."

Kame frowned. "Did Nakamaru send you?"

"No," Jun laughed, before heading for the kitchen where he deposited his bag on the counter and started poking around the cupboards. 

"You're planning on cooking?" Kame asked when Jun pulled out a pan. _Did he know what time it was?_

"No, I'm planning on reheating," Jun explained patiently as he started emptying his bag, which was full of different sorts of containers. He held one up. "I cooked earlier." 

"Oh." 

"Well don't just stand there, set the table. This will be ready in about five minutes."

Kame did as he was told, squeezing past Jun, to access the plates and cutlery. He left the plates on the counter next to Jun and moved towards the dining table. As he set the table he could hear Jun humming to himself as he reheated the food. Kame stood awkwardly at the table once he was done, not quite sure what to do. _Should he go help? Should he just sit and wait?_ He was still deciding when Jun came in carrying two plates filled with food. He put the plates down and gestured for Kame to sit, before sitting himself.

"Well, eat up." 

Kame looked at Jun, already starting to shovel food into his mouth. He looked back down at his own plate. Before, he would have said he wasn't hungry, but now that the food was in front of him and smelling so delicious, he could feel his tummy rumble in need. From the other side of the table, Jun smiled encouragingly. Kame carefully picked up his chopsticks and brought some food to his mouth.

"Yum!" he exclaimed. Everyone in Johnny's knew Jun was a good cook but Kame hadn't had a chance to experience it before. Jun's pleased grin at Kame's exclamation made him smile happily in return.

After they'd eaten in relative silence for a while, Kame tried again to broach the subject of why Jun was here. "Thanks. For this." Kame gestured at the plate in front of him. "But I'm still not entirely sure why you're here."

Jun shrugged, "I know how intense drama filming can be and with everything else going on lately, well...you look like you needed a friend."

Kame bristled a little at the off-handed way Jun just threw that statement out there. Like he needed a babysitter or something because he was fragile couldn't handle things. He was fine, he wanted to hit back, but he held his tongue. He knew Jun probably didn't mean to be that insensitive. Instead he tried a different tack.

"Doesn't seem fair though. The others could use a friend too." It's not like he was the only one going through this after all.

Jun however had a reply for everything, "I already thought of that. I made sure Nino got Nakamaru's phone number off your manager. He should have already made good on his Shuuichi promise. Aiba volunteered to cheer up Taguchi and Sho and Ohno were going to go see Ueda."

"Sho-kun and Ohno-kun, with Tat-chan." Kame tilted his head in thought. "I really can't imagine that."

Jun barked out a laugh. "Me neither." He grinned, before adding, "Should make for an interesting story though."

"Assuming they survive it," Kame agreed. So it wasn't just Jun, but all of Arashi that was making this gesture to all of them. Kame felt a little better about that, but it still didn't seem right. Their problems were their problems. Not Arashi's. And it wasn't like Arashi had nothing better to do.

"Still, don't you have concerts to worry about?"

Jun waved him off unintentionally echoing Kame’s thoughts. "It's all under control. And even if it wasn't, that's not for you to worry about. You have enough on your plate without adding other group’s problems onto it."

"I could say the same to you," Kame shot back.

"Invalid comparison. I'm not worried about KAT-TUN; you'll do fine, even without Koki. It might take a while to adjust, but you're all far too stubborn to not make it work."

Kame looked down his face flushing a little under Jun's intense gaze. Jun hadn't said it, but 'I'm worried about you' was more than implied by his words. He felt warmth rising in his body that he couldn't really explain. Jun must have misunderstood his silence for he reached out carefully placed his hand on top of Kame's.

"You want to talk about it?" He asked gently. Kame shook his head and rushed to explain when Jun opened his mouth to reply.

"We had a meeting. The five of us," he clarified. "We got all our feelings out then. It doesn't seem right to air that in front of outsiders."

Jun's lips formed a tight line and Kame wanted to slap himself. Here was Jun, being kind and considerate, taking time out of his busy schedule and Kame had basically just told him he was poking his nose in where it wasn't wanted. Which was sort of true, but...?

"That didn't come out quite right. I meant," Kame started but Jun interrupted him, the smile back on his face.

"Don't worry about it. I understand. I wouldn't want to air Arashi's dirty laundry in public either."

Kame raised a brow, "Arashi has dirty laundry?" He laced his voice with humour and hoped Jun would pick up on it and get over this awkward moment he'd caused.

"What?" Jun faked surprise, thankfully playing along. "You actually thought it was all rainbows and sparkles?"

Kame shook his head, faking sadness this time. "If Arashi's not rainbows and sparkles, then there's no hope for the rest of us."

"There's always hope," Jun replied much more seriously than Kame was expecting. He squeezed Kame's hand and it was only then that Kame realised he hadn't moved it from where it had rested on top of his. He snatched his hand back and rose from his seat to cover his sudden embarrassment.

"I should clean up." He started to gather the plates but Jun stopped him.

"Uh-uh. I cooked, I'll clean. You need to get to bed. Busy day tomorrow. I'll let myself out when I'm done."

Kame hesitated. "If you're sure?"

"I'm sure. Go." And he made shooing motions in the direction of the bedroom with one hand while finishing cleaning up the table with the other. Kame turned towards the bedroom and slowly made his way towards it. It didn't feel right to let Jun do all the cleaning up, but every time he glanced back over his shoulder, Jun was giving him the 'do as I say' look. As he got closer to the bedroom his steps got heavier. The exhaustion that he felt had temporarily been held at bay by Jun's visit and the food, but now as he caught sight of his bed it returned full force. He shucked off his clothes and crawled under the covers. He was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

*

Jun put the last pan away in the cupboard and wiped his hands on the dish towel. He thought tonight was a moderate success. Kame hadn't really opened up to him like he'd hoped, but he hadn't kicked him out the door and called him crazy either. He quietly made his way towards Kame's bedroom. _Just to check on him,_ he told himself. He watched the dark mound in the middle of the bed for a few moments, looking for signs that they younger man wasn't asleep. He dared not go any closer than the doorway. He'd seen several shows and read interviews where Kame had confessed to sleeping naked and he wasn't entirely trustful of his reaction if he caught a glimpse of that. He'd been telling himself all night this wasn't about his feelings and squashing his instinct to just grab Kame and pull him into a hug. He'd slipped a couple of times as it was and showed more than he meant too. He wasn't sure whether to be grateful or upset that Kame hadn't seemed to have really noticed.

From somewhere on the floor of Kame's bedroom a faint light came on and music started to fill the room. _Shit! Kame's phone!_ Jun practically pounced into the room to try and get to it before the noise woke Kame. His hand touched denim and Jun realised Kame must have left it in his pocket. He pulled it out and hit the cancel button, just as a groan and the sound of rustling sheets came from the bed. Jun held still, clutching the phone tightly, but no further movement occurred and from this new position he could hear Kame's breathing, steady and even. After a few moments more, Jun finally stood and carefully crept out of the room. 

As he made his way back to the lounge room a part of him was relieved that Kame hadn't woken up and a part of him was a little miffed that someone would be ringing Kame this late, or maybe he should say early. It spoke of a certain amount of intimacy that you could call at such an hour without worrying about disturbing the other party. Like they'd be happy to take your call no matter the hour. Jun put the phone down on the coffee table and quietly let himself out of Kame's apartment, one name now burned into his brain. He hadn't meant to, but he'd gotten a glimpse of the name of the caller when he'd shut the call off.

_Yamapi_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I had a few prompt/exchange fics to work on.

It was about three days after Jun's visit to Kame's place before he saw him again, although not through lack of trying. He'd spent every spare minute available hanging around the Jimusho, knowing that Kame and KAT-TUN must be around planning their events, hoping to catch him. He still hadn't quite decided what to think about Yamapi. Were they involved and if so could he, should he, fight for Kame? Of course Yamapi was his friend too, and getting involved in a love triangle was bound to affect all relationships no matter how it played out. He was pondering all that when he finally saw Kame, his back pressed tightly against the wall of the corridor. 

"Kame?" he called out, wondering just what Kame was up too.

Kame turned to face Jun grimacing. "Shhh!" He motioned putting a finger up to his lips.

"What's going on?" Jun whispered as he finally caught up to the other man.

"Nothing." Kame evaded in his own whisper. Then he added, resigned. "Just avoiding someone I'd rather not see right now."

Jun leaned past Kame and peeked around the corner and was only a little surprised to see Akanishi Jin was there talking with another man, probably one of the managers. He moved back to his original position before saying, 

"I think you better move. He's heading this way."

Kame's eyes widened and before Jun could say anything else Kame had grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the nearest room, slamming the door shut behind them. He leaned against it heavily, before sliding down to the floor, elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands.

"It's not what you're thinking," he mumbled after a few moments.

"And what am I thinking?" Jun asked. Everyone knew, or at least speculated, that there was bad blood between Akanishi and the rest of KAT-TUN, especially Kame, but Jun wasn't sure what the other man really thought about it. 

Kame looked up at him then. "Things aren't that bad between us." He sighed. "Or maybe they are, but I wouldn't normally avoid him like this. It's just that, with what happened..."

"You think he'd say something?"

Kame laughed but it was bitter. "I can see it going three ways. One, he'll be all sympathetic and I'll want to punch him in the face. Two, he'll laugh at us and I'll want to punch him in the face. Or three, he won't say anything and ignore it. In which case," 

"You'll want to punch him in the face," Jun finished for him.

"I figured I'd save his face and my hand the pain." Kame tried for a laugh but it fell flat. 

"It's understandable."

"No," Kame disagreed, "it's petty and childish."

"I don't agree." Jun voiced and when Kame turned to look at him curiously, he added. "Petty and childish would be actually going out there and punching him, instead of holding yourself back."

"Thanks," Kame said the corner of his mouth turning up a little in a small smile. Then he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the door. "I just wish I," Kame stopped, not bothering to finish whatever thought was going through his head. Jun had to repress a frustrated sigh. He wished Kame would trust him enough to let him know what was going on inside that head of his. Irregardless of his feelings, Kame was his friend and there was nothing Jun hated more than not being able to help his friends. The small part of his brain that couldn't disregard his feelings, wondered bitterly if Kame had opened up to Yamapi at all.

Kame was climbing back to his feet, professional facade now back in place. "Do you think he's gone by now?"

"Probably," Jun agreed reluctantly, mentally cursing himself for not taking advantage of this moment and finding a way through Kame's walls yet again.

Kame reached for the door handle but just as he touched it, the handle turned and the door opened. Kame stepped back as KisMyFt2 entered the room. Seven faces stared at them in surprise. This must have been their dressing room that he and Kame had hidden in.

Kitayama was the first to regain his composure. "Matsumoto-kun? Kamenashi-kun? What are...?" he trailed off clearly not wanting to cause offence towards his sempai. Jun's mind rushed for an explanation. He doubted Kame wanted to admit to his kouhai that he was avoiding Akanishi. He must have been spending too much time around Nino again, because a sneaky idea formed in his mind and before he could squash it, his face had adopted a smirk and he casually let out,

"Well we could hardly make out in the hallway."

Seven jaws dropped and seven sets of eyes widened simultaneously. He hoped Kamenashi wasn't giving him the same look - it would kind of spoil the whole thing. He sneaked a glance at Kame's face and was relieved to see that the other man wasn't looking surprised, or even angry at Jun for making such a joke. Instead he looked amused by the other's reactions.

"Sorry," he added blithely, confirming Jun's assessment by playing along, "we mistook your door for a janitor's closet."

"We'll leave you too it," Jun added, grabbing Kame's hand in his own. It was perhaps a step too far, but Jun didn't care - it felt good to have the other man's hand in his, even if it was only a joke. They were halfway out the door, when Fujigaya called out,

"Um, actually," he paused, glancing at the rest of his band before looking at them anew. "Can we talk to you for a minute, Kamenashi-kun?"

Kame stopped. "Sure," he agreed.

Jun stepped out of the room. Whatever they had to say to Kamenashi, it was obvious that he wasn't invited to be a part of it. He took a spot on the opposite side of the hallway, leaning casually against the wall. Something about the way Kame had looked, a flash of reluctance in his eyes, so quickly hidden, he wasn't entirely sure he hadn't imagined it, made Jun want to stick around. 

Jun knew he'd made the right decision when Kame came out looking even more stressed and upset than he had when he was trying to avoid Akanishi. He seemed almost on the verge of breaking down.

"Are you alright?" Jun asked, his voice wavering between anger and concern. 

Kame nodded, "Yeah. It's tough for them. They really looked up to Koki." His voice cracked a little as he spoke, and Jun felt the urge to barge back through the door and demand to know what the hell they'd said to him. _How dare they? Who did they think they were?_

A hand on his arm and a soft, "Hey", broke him out of his thoughts. He looked down at the hand and then up into the eyes of Kamenashi, filled with concern for him now.

"Maybe I should ask if you're alright. You look like you're about to start knocking heads together."

"I don't care how upset they are, they shouldn't take it out on you," Jun growled out.

"Take it out on me?" Kamenashi repeated. He swung his head around to look at KisMyFt2's door and then back to Jun. "That's not what happened," he tried to assure, but Jun wasn't buying it.

"Really? You look like your about to cry, and I'm supposed to believe they didn't upset you."

Kame dropped his hand from Jun's arm and turned his head away, like he couldn't meet Jun's gaze. "I am upset," he started shakily, "but not because of what they said." He stopped and Jun thought for a second that he was going to shut himself off again, but instead it seemed that he was just gathering up his strength, for after two big deep breaths he continued on. "I'm upset because I can't do anything about it. We tried. We really did. We asked Koki to stop, and then when we found out he was fired, we practically begged management not to do this. But we couldn't change anything and now everyone's upset; the fans, the kouhai, everyone. And I know no-one really blames us, but I can't help feeling like I could've, should've done more. 

Jun grabbed Kame and pulled him into a hug. He didn't care anymore how Kame would take it, or even how it might look to anyone passing by. Thankfully, Kame didn't resist, burying his head in Jun's shoulder. Jun wasn't sure if Kame was actually crying or not as he held him, but it didn't really matter. He'd finally let some of that unspoken tension out, and Jun knew he'd feel better for it. 

It was Kame's phone buzzing that finally broke them out of their hold. 

He stared down at the screen, clearly using the time to collect himself. "It's Nakamaru," he eventually said. "I'm late for our meeting."

Jun nodded, "Do you want me to walk you there."

Kame shook his head. "Thanks, but you've given up enough of your time for me already." Kame seemed embarrassed, like he didn't quite know what else to say to person he'd just been (maybe) crying all over. He bobbed his head in farewell and turned to walk off down the corridor.

"I'll always give up my time for you," Jun whispered to his retreating back, "Anytime."

*

Kame raced through the door of the meeting room, bowing and apologising. Since he was running late, the meeting got underway immediately without giving anyone a chance to question what he'd been up too. He could feel the gazes of the Nakamaru, Ueda and Junno resting on him from time to time, but he pointedly ignored them.

It wasn't until a break for lunch that they actually managed to corner him, crowding around before he could escape.

"Did something happen?" 

Kame could always trust Nakamaru to get straight to the point. Problem was he wasn't sure exactly what to tell them. That he was late because he was avoiding Akanishi, or because of his talk with Kisumai, or maybe that he'd had a mini-meltdown in the corridor. None of those options appealed; the others were just as, if not more, devastated by Koki's leaving than he was and he didn't want to burden them more than they already were. He eventually settled on part of the truth.

"I ran into Matsumoto-kun. I guess I lost track of time. Sorry."

Nakamaru looked doubtful, but before he could say anything more, Ueda was groaning,

"Please tell me he finally made his move."

Kame blinked. "What?" 

Junno grinned around a mouthful of food. "He really likes you."

"What?" Kame repeated again. "Where did you get that idea from?"

"Aiba-chan told me," Junno answered simply. 

"Speaking of which,” Ueda added, “next time Jun wants you all to himself, tell him he doesn't have to send the rest of Arashi out as decoys. Just a text to tell us to clear off will be fine."

"They weren't decoys, they were trying to be nice and cheer us up."

Ueda shrugged. "All I know is if I have to hear one more story about fishing, I'm going to crack someone's skull open." 

"I didn’t mind. I had fun," Taguchi piped up. 

Ueda rolled his eyes, "Of course you did."

Kame frowned down at his lunch. Ueda and Taguchi were wrong, surely. Jun was just being a friend. He thought back to both Jun's visit a few nights ago and just now in the corridor. There had been nothing salacious or untoward in Jun's actions. Even the joke about them making out was clearly just said to stir up their kouhai. In fact now that he thought about, there were several opportunities on both occasions where Jun could have made a move if he'd been so inclined, but he hadn't. 

"Whether he means more or not, it is nice to have someone outside the group to vent to if you need it." Nakamaru said, which made Kame look up again and smile briefly, as he met three supportive faces, to let them know he understood. As the staff re-entered the room to resume the meeting, Nakamaru shifted closer and lowered his voice. "Speaking of which, did you talk to Yamapi yet?" 

Kame tensed at the question and shook his head. "I couldn't," he whispered back. Nakamaru was prevented from answering by the resumption of the meeting and Kame was glad for it. Pi was on tour and supposed to be having fun and Kame had no intention of ruining that and bringing down his mood. Yamapi could wait for now. And so could Jun for that matter. Now was time to focus on work.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay with part 3. In my defence, my computer crashed and ate half of it so I had to rewrite. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Rumours and gossip were a dime a dozen around the Jimusho, so it didn't surprise Kame to hear over the next few days news about himself and Jun supposedly making out in every nook and cranny of the building. Normally he ignored such rumours because one, everyone was smart enough to keep such rumours within the walls of the building itself and two, generally it was all wrong anyway. Of course it wasn't true this time either, but it felt nice to see faces looking at him with something other than the pity or concern that had been there for the past couple of weeks. It seemed the rest of KAT-TUN felt the same way because they'd been teasing him non-stop ever since they heard it.

"I heard you blew him on the roof." Junno raised his eyebrows suggestively as they walked down the corridor. Kame nearly stumbled as his mind instantly, unhelpfully, tried to picture that scenario.

"Maru and Shige practically jumped me to ask if it was true." The look on Ueda's face spoke of nothing but trouble.

"What did you tell them?" Kame asked suspiciously.

Ueda grinned slyly, "That I was never sitting on our couch again after what I found you two doing on it."

Kame couldn't help the burst of laughter that left his mouth, startling two Juniors out of their whispered conversation. As if Kame didn't know what they talking about. He made sure to catch their attention as he passed by and winked. He only just stopped himself from laughing again at the looks on their faces.

Nakamaru groaned. "Matsumoto-kun is going to kill us."

"Like you haven't been laughing your ass off about it," Ueda accused.

"It's one thing between us," Nakamaru objected, "but now you're spreading it."

"Pfft!" Ueda dismissed, "He started it, he should be happy,"

"Besides," Junno added, "at the speed Matsumoto-kun moves, rumours is all Kame's going get out of it."

Kame looked away, hoping the others didn't notice as he felt the heat rising in his cheeks. _Jun couldn’t possibly actually like him, could he?_ If it were true, why hadn’t he made a move during the innumerable chances Kame had given him of late? _No_ , he decided, _the others must be wrong_. Jun was just being a good friend. Which meant that Nakamaru was right too – not that Jun would kill them, but he should still probably apologise to Jun for dragging this out. These rumours affected him too, after all. He was trying to figure out the best way to contact Jun, since he didn’t have his number, when he realised where he was.

"This is my stop," he said, coming to a halt at a crossroads in the corridor.

"You’re not coming to lunch with us?" Junno asked.

Kame shook his head, and wasn't surprised to see Nakamaru narrow his eyes

"I can't," Kame explained, "I have a meeting."

"More work?"

Kame frowned. "No idea. Our manager didn't say what it was about." Truthfully, Kame hated that; going into meetings without any idea of what was coming. It didn't help things that it generally turned out to be not so good news. He could tell from the others faces that they were having similar thoughts, but Kame didn't want to be the one to bring the mood down, so he affected a light tone and added,

"I’m sure it’ll be fine. Grab me something and I'll eat at practice."

The others nodded and took their leave, glancing back every now and then as if to make sure he was okay. Kame kept the smile pasted on his face until they finally were out of sight. Then he turned down the adjoining corridor and located the assigned meeting room. Kame paused briefly and took a deep breath to settle himself and push thoughts of rumours and Jun out of his mind before he pushed the door open.

*

Jun threw his pencil down and straightened, stretching muscles that had been hunched over for too long. He'd been staring at the same floor plan for at least an hour but he may as well have been staring at the wall for all it had gotten him. Aiba, the only other person in the room, looked up from his magazine at the movement and craned his neck to study what Jun had been working on.

"Is that the stage plan? I thought we agreed on that already," he asked.

"We did," Jun agreed, "but something about it has been bugging me. I just can't figure out what."

Aiba smiled encouragingly. "You'll figure it out."

Jun appreciated the confidence Aiba was showing in him, but he wasn't so sure. "Maybe if I could concentrate for more than five seconds at a time."

"Kame?" Aiba asked a little too astutely.

"Am I that obvious?"

Aiba just smiled at him. "I thought that was going well?"

"It is, I guess," Jun mused. And it was true to a degree. Kame had opened up a little more to him, even though he’d been pushed to limit to get there. It was funny; his attraction to Kame had always been a little abstract. Something he hadn’t ever really planned to act on, even once he had acknowledged it to more than just himself. But now that he’d pushed a little more into Kame’s life - been to his apartment, held him in his arms - abstract was becoming a little more concrete. Being Kame’s friend just wasn’t enough any more.

"I want more," Jun admitted just as Nino entered the room.

"Really? I heard you two were already doing _more_." Nino couldn't have sounded more lewd if he tried.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear." Jun already regretted his joke, even if at the time it had been fun, and he’d been happy that Kame had played along. He hoped it wasn’t causing Kame trouble now.

Nino raised an eyebrow. "Even if it comes straight from KAT-TUN's mouths?" he asked.

_What?_ There was no way that was true; Nino was obviously just messing with him. He picked up his pencil and once again focused on the plans in front of him.

“Shut up and help me figure out what’s wrong with this stage plan.”

*

Kame stood stock still in the entryway to the meeting room. From the other side of the conference table, Yamapi waved.

"What are you doing here?" Kame hissed, "I'm supposed to be having a meeting." He looked around, trying to find signs of who he was supposed to be meeting. _Had he got the wrong room?_

"I know," Yamapi replied, "I'm your meeting."

Kame’s eyes snapped back to Yamapi. "What?"

Yamapi shrugged. "You're a hard man to get hold of these days, so I pulled a few strings and made an appointment."

Kame whirled around to leave. "I don't have time for this."

"Wait!" Kame stopped at the plea in Yamapi's voice but he didn't look back. "Are you really going to ignore me even when I'm right in front of you?"

"What about your concert?" Kame evaded Yamapi's question with one of his own.

"It's fine. I had a small gap in my schedule, so I figured I'd use it to come see you. Now sit." Yamapi commanded. Kame moved toward the table and sat, glaring at the older man.

"I hate you."

"Love you too sweetie," Yamapi crooned back in reply.

*

"Why don't you just go and see him," Aiba suggested.

"He's busy," Jun pointed out. "I can only harass his manager for his schedule so many times before it becomes weird. I don't want him to think I'm a stalker."

"So text him." Nino rolled his eyes like the answer was only too obvious, and Jun should really have thought of it himself. "I can give you his number if you don't have it."

"I have his number." Jun was smart enough to have got that off Kame's manager even if he hadn’t used it yet. It took all of two seconds into a staring match with Nino before he caved and pulled out his phone to type.

_Are you busy?_

Short and to the point. He pressed send before he could change his mind and plopped his phone down on the table as nonchalantly as he could. Finally, after an eternity - or five minutes, Jun wasn’t counting, much - his phone beeped in reply. Jun couldn't pick it up fast enough.

_Pretty busy. I have dance practice and recording for the album._

_Hopefully I'll be finished around 8._

Jun smiled, that certainly sounded optimistic. He angled his phone away from Nino who was trying to read the screen over his shoulder.

_Dinner?_

This time he held onto his phone until it beeped.

_Sure. Send me the time and place._

_Sorry, can't talk more, Pi's glaring at me._

Jun blinked at the screen, his mind glossing over most of the message to focus on one word. Or should he say one name. _Yamapi was here? Wasn’t he supposed to be in some far flung part of Japan on tour?_ Jun was so stunned, he didn’t even try to stop Nino when he plucked the phone out of his hand.

“He agreed to dinner,” Nino started, showing the phone to Aiba. “So why are you looking like you’ve been rejected?”

Jun just stared back at them. _Where to start?_

* 

Kame pushed his phone back into his pocket. 

“Finished sexting with your boyfriend now?” Despite his glares while Kame had been on the phone, Yamapi sounded more amused than anything. 

Kame opened his mouth to speak, but what was he going to say. ‘I wasn’t sexting’. ‘He’s not my boyfriend’. Both were true, although irrelevant at the moment since neither was what Yamapi really wanted to hear. 

“Have you talked to Koki?” was what came out instead. 

“Eventually,” Yamapi replied carefully. “He’s almost as hard to get a hold of as you.” 

“Is…?” Kame swallowed, the rest of the question getting stuck in his throat. 

“He’s doing okay. Not great, but okay.” Yamapi’s words released a knot of tension Kame hadn’t even realised was there. He’d felt a lot of things over the last week or two: anger, hurt, sad, worry; but somewhere deep down there’d also been a small spark of fear. Because while he’d had all those emotions, he’d also had Nakamaru and Ueda and Junno and even, surprisingly, Jun, for support and Koki hadn’t; management had “suggested” they don’t contact each other for the foreseeable future. He’d hoped Koki’s friends outside the agency were taking care of him, but he didn’t really know. 

“Thanks,” Kame managed his voice hoarse with emotion. He knew the others would be grateful to hear it too. 

Kame’s phone alarm beeped, signalling it was time for him to be at dance practice to learn the choreography for Kusabi before they began performing it live. 

Yamapi sighed. “I guess that means my time is up.” He gave Kame a pointed stare. “For now,” he added.

* 

Jun was staring blankly at the TV, some variety show, when there was a knock at the door. He dragged himself up to get it, not bothering to check who it was - most likely it was Nino or Aiba come to try and cheer him up. He was surprised then to find Kame, apprehension apparent in his demeanour. 

"You didn't text me back about dinner, so I thought I'd bring dinner to you." He sounded nervous, like maybe he was expecting Jun to slam the door in his face or something. 

Jun stepped aside to let him enter, and couldn’t help the little tickle of déjà vu settle on his mind as he watched Kame carefully removing his shoes. It had been Kame’s apartment that time and their roles had been reversed but it was close enough.  He followed behind the other silently as he padded towards the kitchen. 

Kame set the bag he was carrying on the kitchen counter and reached into it, pulling out two items and striking a pose. "Ta-Da!"

Jun had to chuckle at what Kame was holding. "Cup Noodles?" 

Kame pouted. "Hey, I barely have time to breathe lately. Cup Noodles is about the best I can do." 

"Cup Noodles it is then." Jun gestured magnanimously for Kame to continue. 

Jun watched as Kame found the kettle, filled it with water and put it on to boil. He wanted to start a conversation, something casual and light, maybe even make a joke or two but there was only one thing on his mind. 

"How's Yamapi?" Jun was a little surprised he managed to sound so casual, even if inside he was a boiling pit of jealousy. 

"Fine,” Kame answered off-handedly. “Busy with his concerts."

"And he's alright with you having dinner with me?"

Kame turned from where he was peeling the lids back on the noodle cups, the lines of his forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Why wouldn't he be?" 

"Aren't you two together?" Jun looked away, not daring to meet Kame’s eyes and see the answer writ there. 

"What gave you that idea?" Jun couldn’t help but notice that Kame hadn’t actually denied it yet. 

"He called you the other night; after you were asleep. It seemed a little late for just a friendly call. And today he came all the way back to Tokyo just to see you." 

"He only called that late because I'd been ignoring him." Kame eventually muttered, not elaborating any further. The kettle signalling it had boiled stopped further conversation as Kame carefully poured the water into the cups and closed the lids back down, resting the chopsticks on them to keep them closed. He looked at his watch and then down at the counter which he seemed to suddenly find fascinating. 

When he eventually started talking, his voice was quiet and soft, but determined. "I don't usually like talking about stuff that's bothering me? I like to work through it myself.” Jun caught the edge of Kame’s lips curl up into a half smile, “Yamapi's been the exception to that; since Nobuta anyway; mostly because he's too stubborn to take no for an answer." 

"So why were you ignoring him this time?" 

"Actually it’s standard procedure.” Kame shrugged, “I ignore, and he chases me down and bullies it out of me.” Kame chuckled although there wasn’t a lot of mirth to it. “I figured this time would be easier with him on tour and all, but I should have known better.” Kame looked up catching Jun’s gaze. “We’re just friends,” he assured. 

Jun wasn’t so sure about that. Oh, it was clear, Kame thought so, but Yamapi’s behaviour seemed to Jun an awful lot like his own over the past week. Pushing into Kame’s space to try and help him, even if it appeared on the surface like it wasn’t wanted or needed. Only from the sound of things, Yamapi had been doing it for a lot longer. Still, whether Yamapi had feelings or not, Kame didn’t seem to view it like that. A spark of hope flared within him. He broke out of his thoughts when Kame placed the noodles in front of him. They ate in silence for a while before Kame spoke up again, 

"Actually, Pi thinks you and me….” Kame waved a hand as if that explained everything. 

"Remind me not to trust Kisumai with any real secrets." Jun commented wryly, "Sorry if it’s been causing you trouble." 

Kame shook his head, "I should probably be apologising to you." When Jun looked at him curiously, Kame ducked his head, but Jun didn't miss the fact that his cheeks were turning a rather cute shade of pink. "We've been kind of egging it on." 

_So Nino had been right?_ "So I hear."

"It's just been nice to be the centre of gossip for a silly reason for a change. It took some pressure off."

Jun raised an eyebrow. "Dating me is silly?"

Jun had to laugh when Kame's face went fully red this time, and he started stammering out an apology. Kame's expression changed into a pout when he realised Jun had just been teasing. Jun felt the urge to lean across the counter and kiss that pout off, but he repressed it and concentrated on the noodles. After they'd finished, Jun suggested they watch some Television; he didn't want the night to be over just yet and thankfully Kame agreed. Jun led the way into the lounge room, sitting on the couch and letting Kame choose where he wanted to sit. Jun was pleased, and a little surprised, when Kame chose to sit next to him on the couch rather than one of the chairs. 

The variety show that Jun had been staring blankly at before was over now, replaced by a documentary about Global warming, from the look of it. Jun picked up the remote and flicked through the channels, finally settling on some cheesy romance drama. 

"Yamapi says I over think things too much," Kame spoke suddenly after they’d been watching quietly for a few minutes. 

"Nino says the same thing to me." 

"We should probably stop.” Kame said, and for a second Jun felt a stab of fear, but then Kame was moving, straddling Jun’s legs until he was in his lap. “Thinking isn't getting us anywhere," he murmured before pressing his lips against Jun’s. Jun felt Kame's tongue swipe across his bottom lip and he opened up, letting his own tongue swirl against Kame's in response. His hands moved latching onto Kame's hips and pulling him flush against him. Kame moaned into his mouth as their crotches came into contact and Jun was hard pressed not to follow suit. 

"Kame," Jun sighed as they broke for air and Kame began trailing kisses across his jaw. 

"Kazuya," Kame breathed against his ear, "If you're going to sleep with me, call me Kazuya." 

"Kazuya," Jun tried again. "Are you sure about this?" 

Kame kept up his ministrations, and Jun nearly lost it when he started sucking lightly on his earlobe.  "I thought we agreed not to think,” he finally murmured. 

That snapped Jun out of his daze. He brought his hands up to Kame’s shoulders and pulled him back until their gazes met. "Not good enough, Kazuya," he growled. "I like you, and if this is just going to be a one night stand for you then." 

Kame's finger against his lips cut Jun off. Jun watched as a myriad of emotions flickered through Kame’s eyes, though he had a hard time deciphering any of them. He loosened his grip on Kame’s shoulders, expecting Kame to pull off him, but the younger man just leant forward, his head returning to the crook of Jun’s neck. He wasn’t kissing or sucking this time though, just breathing. Hot puffs of air rained on Jun’s neck and in some ways Jun was finding this even more erotic than the earlobe sucking.

“It’s not, I promise,” Kame whispered so softly that Jun almost missed it.  And that was enough for Jun. Maybe it shouldn’t have been; Kame hadn’t confessed back and he was still dealing with KAT-TUN’s loss, but he’d agreed to stick around and from there Jun was confident he could work on the rest.

He pulled Kame back up to face him again, this time to initiate another kiss, deeper and more passionate than the last. He trailed his hands down Kame’s back until he met the edge of his shirt, and he slipped his fingers under to feel hot skin. It still wasn’t enough for Jun however, and he broke the kiss to rid Kame of the garment. This time Jun attacked Kame’s neck, kissing and licking his way down. He brought a hand up to rub teasingly over one of Kame’s nipples and couldn’t help but smirk into Kame’s neck when he gasped. Kame wasn’t to be outdone however, and he started rocking his hips, just enough to rub their crotches together maddeningly and chuckling a little as this time it was Jun’s turn to moan. The friction was building and Jun couldn’t take it much longer. 

“Bedroom,” he panted against Kame’s neck. 

“Agreed,” Kame answered back just as breathlessly.

*

Jun slipped out of bed, careful not to wake the man sleeping next to him. He couldn’t wipe the grin from his face as he padded out to the kitchen for a glass of water. Idle fantasy was nothing compared to the real thing. He reached for his phone, just to check the time, as he drank and saw that a message had come through for him. Thinking it was probably Nino, he was surprised to see when he clicked on it, that it was instead from Yamapi. 

_Take good care of him_

Jun read the message again. There was no doubt who the him was. He typed back a quick reply and put his phone back down before returning to the bedroom. He climbed back into bed and Kame automatically shifted until he was snuggled as close against Jun as he could possibly be. Jun smiled again, wrapping an arm around the younger man and thinking about his reply to Yamapi. 

_I_ _will, I promise._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that’s it for my first multichapter. Hopefully it didn’t turn out too badly. Although now I have the urge to write some PiKame.


End file.
